But that brings baseball to a moment of truth. On the outside, there is the divide in the nation, pervading the lives of just about everyone. On the inside, there is the potential divide in these clubhouses, which could undermine the fabric every team needs to function and win.

So which is the more important divide? Baseball clearly has chosen to worry about its own house. But is it possible that, by making that choice, it is squandering an opportunity to help Americans mend a much bigger divide?

For Major League Baseball players, action usually involves finding ways to tolerate and coexist with others. For example, Stark’s piece includes comments from Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, Mexican by both birth and current residence, who hears jokes from teammates about President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. It’s “nothing serious,” Osuna adds, shrugging off the humor. After a 2015 spring training meeting with MLB Ambassador of Inclusion Billy Bean (who is gay), former Met and current Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy casually mentioned his disapproval of the gay “lifestyle.” Bean and Murphy both spoke highly of the dialogue and each other.

It’s almost as if there are more important things than politics — things like civility and respect in dealing with other people.

Stark’s entire thesis is built on this shaky foundation:

Politics may be the No.1 topic in America, but not here. Not in the locker rooms of spring training. Not in public. Not even in private, players swear. It seems impossible to comprehend, considering the political lightning bolts that seem to shoot through the sky everywhere you turn. But it’s true.

In fact, most people understand that when you find yourself in a diverse environment, it’s best to look for common ground first before respectfully exploring differences. Your pal with a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker doesn’t necessarily want to nationalize deodorant production any more than your buddy with a Make America Great Again hat thinks that all Mexicans are violent criminals.

Stark assumes that society’s political fissures need healing. But for many Americans, discussing politics is as needless as picking a scab on a cut. We don’t need to agree on everything. These differences, for most of us, simply aren’t that important.